Medication errors may never be completely eliminated, but strategies can be implemented to reduce the likelihood of error occurring. These strategies include reducing dose calculation errors, being extra vigilant with medicines that are commonly associated with error, improving access to specialised prescribing information, improving communication with parents and using error reporting systems.View Article

Children who cough are frequently seen in general practice. The challenge is to determine what is “normal” cough from that which is abnormal. The majority of children with acute cough have a viral upper respiratory tract infection.View Article

The short answer is no. There is little evidence that cough and cold preparations have any clinically significant effect on reducing the symptoms or duration of the common cold in children. Most of these preparations contain medicines that are not recommended for use in children aged under six years. View Article

An important focus of the PHO Performance Programme is to ensure that all children in New Zealand are receiving their necessary immunisations, by the recommended age milestones. A small proportion of children are not currently being immunised and it is important to identify the reasons for this and to find solutions to address this disparity. View Article